As London Craft Week got underway across the city, GUBI unveiled its first UK showroom last week. Housed within an elegant Grade II-listed Georgian townhouse in London’s Clerkenwell, it’s a home away from home for the Danish brand, designed to create a cosy setting for their collection of considered furniture and accessories. GUBI House is conceived just as if it was a real, genuine home and it’s so inviting you almost don’t want to leave!
The impressive showroom is spread over four floors, with a series of intimate rooms, each with their own feel. I can’t think of any other showroom space in London quite like it. Downstairs you have a timeless drawing room looking onto the greenery of Charterhouse Square, on the first floor there is a Seventies-inspired lounge with retro lighting, while on the top floor you’ll find an attic space colour drenched in a soft, buttery beige. At times it feels like the house just keeps on going, as you’re greeted by the delight of another room with more to discover.
As the sunlight filtered in through the original windows and danced on the walls, it felt like a complete sensory experience, immersing you in the sophisticated world of GUBI. GUBI House is only open by appointment for architects and designers, but I hope this post gives you some interior inspiration, even if it’s just in the way they’ve paired colours and tones together to create a soothing setting.
Images: Cate St Hill
It took GUBI two years to find this particular London townhouse, in the quintessentially British setting of historic Charterhouse Square, between Farringdon and Barbican. The brand wanted to have an anchor in London, in the ‘creative melting pot’ of the city. GUBI’s main market is residential interiors, but they’re also a sought-after brand for hospitality projects that want to curate a homely, inviting feel.
‘We wanted to create a home – it’s domesticated and soft. It’s somewhere where you want to spend time and see something that could work at home,’ said Marie Kristine Schmidt, chief brand officer at GUBI.
Seeking to preserve and enhance the original interior features, GUBI worked with Danish creative studio File Under Pop to develop the scheme for the walls, floors and ceilings. They’ve used a rich, earthy colour palette to create a soft, refined backdrop for GUBI’s designs, combining neutral tones with hand-painted wallpaper and lava stone. I was particularly impressed by the fireplace hearths which were made of one piece of tile, colour matched to the walls – the perfect attention to detail.
The ground floor of GUBI House is conceived as a boutique hotel, with a lounge, dining rom and meeting room, dressed in jewel-like tones with golden accents. I fell in love with the oversized bamboo pendant that takes centre stage, designed by Paavo Tynell in 1972. I also liked how the curved forms of the furniture cleverly guided your eye to certain focal points in the room, such as the fireplace, pendant light and round marble coffee table. The mirror above the fireplace is a new design from the Vanity collection by Copenhagen-based duo GamFratesi.
Upstairs there is a laid-back lounge straight from the Seventies with low-slung chairs in contrasting fabrics, including Pierre Paulin’s Pacha lounge chair and Illum Wikkelsø’s Croissant chair. My favourite piece was the chunky Daumiller dining armchair, designed by Rainer Daumiller in 1977 and now available in black as well as pine. I love how the design has a solidity and weight to it that feels refreshing compared to a lot of other more slender Scandinavian chairs.
The second floor is communal and convivial, recreating a modern co-working space with low marble tables and a striking striped orange bench seat. GUBI describes the top floor as boho in style, with texture coming from Gabriella Crespi’s Bohemian 72 collection made of rattan.
While the townhouse is open by appointment only and reserved for the interiors industry, GUBI are hoping to host community events and talks in the hopes of creating a living and breathing destination for Danish design in London. I’m sure each space will evolve as they refine or expand their collection. As I left GUBI House I could hear so many whispers of ‘When can I move in?’, and I felt myself asking the exact same question.
last image: image credit: Michael Sinclair
